Feature | Cubed3’s Most Anticipated 2010 WiiWare Games

Night Sky / Cave Story / La Mulana (Nicalis)

Nicalis is one of the most promising developers signed on to the WiiWare service, and by the looks of things it's going to be a great year for the team. The Indie developer currently has three separate projects lined up for the Wii download store, all looking equally promising.

Night Sky is the title I'm anticipating the most, having played it at Nintendo's Media Summit last year. Though some may disregard it as a 2D ball-rolling game before playing it, there is something about it that just clicks with you when you take hold of the control pad. Your goal is to help a ball travel through a silhouette world, using a combination of balance, velocity, gravity and whatever abilities you are gifted to bypass puzzles. The mash-up of simplicity with potential for hugely complex, inventive scenarios is what sets Night Sky apart for me.

Nicalis is a busy group, though, so it has not one, not two, but three titles listed here. Cave Story is the next. It's a 2D action-adventure game originally developed by Independent developer Daisuke Amaya (AKA Pixel; Amaya-san's art-name) as freeware. Amaya-san, not involved in game development otherwise, programmed his game whenever he got spare time over the space of five years. Upon its release, Cave Story (or Dokutsu Monogatar) was met with universal acclaim, with many comparing its length to the likes of the Castlevania titles. Nicalis struck a deal with Amaya-san to transfer his work to WiiWare, collaborating with him to enhance it with extra features and characters along the way. You will also be able to switch back to the original audio and visuals if you so choose.

La-Maluna follows a similar path. The tomb-filled, Indiana Jones-like adventure game is also being transferred to WiiWare from its Japanese PC origins. The inspiration behind this one was MSX games of old, and it's notoriously difficult - the designers choosing to make it fiendish as they did not feel there were enough tough games on the market. There is only one ending, with multiple ways to get there but no indication on how to proceed, and the tombs are filled with traps. It is, by the sounds of it, a hardcore game through and through. Here's hoping that Nicalis has balanced things so that us mere mortals can enjoy La-Mulana, too...
- Mike Mason, Reviews Editor.

Super Meat Boy (Team Meat)

Starting off as a humble PC Flash game on popular website Newgrounds, Team Meat was asked by Nintendo to revamp Meat Boy and bring it to a wider audience. Taking up the challenge, the development team has taken the core experience that had thrilled gamers and ramped up the difficultly level, thrown in plenty of familiar stages with a twist, as well as a whole host of extras.

Currently scheduled for an undetermined point in the ‘Q1 2010’ period, Super Meat Boy is a 2D side-scrolling platform title, but one that is in no way of the traditional variety, with its protagonist being a cube of meat that bleeds profusely as he bounds around levels brimming with death-traps, the main bad guy is an evil foetus (aptly named Dr. Fetus) and the damsel in distress no less than a bundle of plasters stuck together (Band-Aid Girl). Teeth-grindingly tough, but thoroughly entertaining throughout from C3’s recent hands-on, Super Meat Boy could easily become the best-selling WiiWare not long after release!
- Adam Riley, Senior Editor.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (SEGA)

Hello again! What would a most anticipated list be without the appearance of SEGA's prickly mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog? We're already extremely excited about his first three adventures coming to the DS, and with a direct follow-up on the way to download networks this year, our anticipation meter is already brushing up on Mars. The aptly named Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 hopes to bring back to home consoles what fans loved about the originals - pure 2D side-scrolling love with a balance between speed and precise platforming, a series of worlds broken up into acts, egg pods and, to top it all off, music that will be tattooed upon your mind for the rest of time - hopefully.

Shortly after Sonic & Knuckles, peace is restored and our protagonist is on the hunt for more action alone. Of course, Eggman has survived their last encounter and has let loose a bunch of traps, both new and old. It may be the best in the series, or it may be a huge flop - but with the key components already in place, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 on WiiWare is shaping up very nicely indeed!
- Jorge Baoh, Cubed3 Founder.

And Yet It Moves (Broken Rules)

The 2D platform genre has been given a massive boost thanks to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but Broken Rules’ And Yet It Moves is not exactly your standard ‘run-and-jump’ game. Of course, there is a plentiful supply of both those aspects, yet there is also the ability to completely rotate the world around you in order to aid with progression through levels and solve brain-teasing puzzles, all by simply using your Wii Remote.

This, along with the paper-cut-out graphics, makes the whole experience extremely unique. See a ledge that you cannot quite reach with the normal jump ability? Simply jump upwards, pause reality for a second to rotate the world the amount required, and then hope that gravity and inertia do not get the better of you. And Yet It Moves is not going to make life too easy for the player, with the level of challenge proving to be one of its main draws. Brace yourself for one of the toughest, but rewarding experiences on WiiWare in 2010!
- Adam Riley, Senior Editor.

Mega Man 10 (Capcom)

The rockman is a true gaming legend, no question. So news of a full on retro-style Mega Man game for WiiWare has got me drooling all over myself. Nice. Following in the fine footsteps of Mega Man 9, the game features new bosses such as Sheep Man (oh my, yes...) and the ability to play as Proto Man right out of the 'box' (download). Chuck in a third 'mystery' character and you've got a game that is already looking pretty damn fine.

Admittedly not much is known about the whole package yet, but I do love Mega Man. What I also love is the promise of an Easy Mode. Not that I'm a bad gamer, but NES Mega Man titles were notoriously soul-crushingly 'über-nails' on the scale of 'pffft, that's too easy' to 'ouch, that's nails'. So, to summarise: Mega Man is back, baby!
- James Temperton, Features Editor.

Chronos Twins DX (EnjoyUp)

Chronos Twin sadly did not catch on too well when it was released as a DS retail title. It is a viciously tough little platformer that asks you to control two characters simultaneously, one on each screen. Any obstacles present on either screen will block progress; the goal is to work out safe ways to dodge around obstacles that won't result in death on either screen. Of course, there are dual-screen boss battles too. Developer EnjoyUp has decided to give it another chance now, releasing its game on both DSiWare and WiiWare, this time adding an extra 's' and 'DX' to the title. It should be interesting to see what has been added to the games and whether playing on a TV screen makes the experience any easier. If it's at the same quality levels as the original - pretty great but rough around the edges - then downloaders should be in for a treat when Chronos Twins DX eventually arrives in Europe.
- Mike Mason, Reviews Editor.

Zombie Panic in Wonderland (Akaoni Studio)

There must be something in the water over in Spain - not only is Barcelona-based EnjoyUp Games creating a slew of high quality games, but now Akaoni Studio from Valencia is looking to follow in EnjoyUp’s footsteps with Zombie Panic in Wonderland, a vertically-scrolling action shooter in the same vein as Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ from the DS/DSiWare. Players take on the role of Momotaro, a young hero trying to save his friends from the spell of ‘amorous zombies’ attacking Wonderland by using his nimbleness and a machine gun.

There are seven different characters to play as, though, adding to the variety, as well as a multiplayer option to bring a friend along on this fast, frenetic shooting ride. With only Star Soldier R to really keep shmup fans happy on WiiWare so far, Zombie Panic in Wonderland has a great void to fill. The good thing is that Cubed3’s early play-test showed extremely positive signs indeed! Shooter fans will be pleased to know development on this has now finished and Akaoni is merely waiting for Nintendo to green-light its final release.
- Adam Riley, Senior Editor.

Bonk: Brink of Extinction (Hudson)

Another classic is reborn again on various download services this year, this time in the form of Hudson's fan-favourite, Bonk, in an adventure subtitled Brink of Extinction. Never bonked before? Well, a bald-headed adorable caveman wanders about his platform world head-butting anthropomorphic dinosaurs in a bid to rescue a prehistoric princess from an evil King Dinosaur. Having such a whopping big, strong forehead means the little chap needs fuel in the form of meat; the more meat you eat the stronger you, erm…be!

Bonking it up this year on WiiWare is a new game in the series, a blending of classic Bonk platforming styles: munching on meat, air and wall climbs, along with newer abilities like fire- and ice-breathing. Unlike your standard rehashing of sprites in some of these modern takes, Bonk: Brink of Extinction is decorated with luxurious, vibrant backgrounds that whilst 3D, still sport the original look and feel of the old TurboGrafx-16 outings. The caveman is also accompanied by a friend, introducing local and online multiplayer, as well as online leader-boards. Therefore, if you're in need of some new and old platforming love, then Bonk is indeed your man, and luckily for you he will be ‘bonking’ his way onto WiiWare this year!
- Jorge Baoh, Cubed3 Founder.

Robocalypse: Beaver Defense (Vogster)

Unlike the DS release, the WiiWare version of Robocalypse is thankfully going to be coming to European shores around the same time as the US gets it. The tower defence-style strategy series has not yet seen the light of day in these parts due to publisher deals falling through, but I hear very good things. Robocalypse: Beaver Defense takes a different approach to the genre in that in addition to the obligatory towers, you also have Hero robots stomping around to look after your HQ; they are effectively moving, player-controlled towers. Vogster is promising a decent amount of online play, and the series has been praised for its humour, too. After all, what other game lets you transform your enemies into toasters? Brace yourself for one heck of a ride when Robocalypse: Beaver Defense eventually lands on WiiWare in 2010!
- Mike Mason, Reviews Editor.

Worms: Battle Islands (Team17)

Worms was part of my gaming education. It truly is a classic title of unrepentant beauty and majesty. And the real trick is in the blinding sodding simplicity of the thing. Sadly the franchise got a bit lost in recent years...even making the mistake of going 3D...eurgh. Thankfully, it returns to what it knows best for this WiiWare offering, Worms: Battle Islands. So good is it, in fact, that when the lovely Mike Mason played it last year he declared it to be 'quite possibly the most feature-loaded edition of the game yet.'

And Mike's a picky git! In fact, to be quite honest, you should probably just go and read his preview of Battle Islands. If you're not excited by the mere mention of 'Worms' and 'old-school' then you don't deserve to fill your lungs with fresh clean oxygen. The glorious violence, the devilish tactics and the barrage of wonderful weapons...and it is all coming to Wii. I need to lie down...
- James Temperton, Features Editor.